***2008 Broncos thread*** (1 Viewer)

[Islanders rule]

Denver might just be the worst 6-5 team I've ever seen. They currently have a -44 point differential, which is atrocious. When they win, they barely win. When they lose, they lose pathetically. The sad thing is, they will probably still win the division. This team just isn't good. At all.I don't really know what else to say. It doesn't seem possible to be more down on a team that has a two game division lead after week 12.But, if they do hang on and make the playoffs, I suppose anything is possible. I, however, won't be holding my breath. Unfortunately, I do have season tickets and will be forced to endure their first (and almost certainly their only) playoff game.

I hate to admit it, but it's true, West coast teams are the worst in the NFL. Arizona & Denver are our best teams ! How pathetic. They are better than the 6 worst teams in all of football.San FranciscoSeattleSt. LouisKansas CityOaklandSan DiegoO.K, Detroit & Cincinnatti are out there also.At least Arizona got rid of Denny Green, When does Shanny get his. Did anyone else see the last 22 seconds of the 1st half against the Raiders last Sunday ? Shanahan should be fired for being such a rectal opening.

 

[thatguy]

Denver might just be the worst 6-5 team I've ever seen. They currently have a -44 point differential, which is atrocious. When they win, they barely win. When they lose, they lose pathetically. The sad thing is, they will probably still win the division. This team just isn't good. At all.

I don't really know what else to say. It doesn't seem possible to be more down on a team that has a two game division lead after week 12.

But, if they do hang on and make the playoffs, I suppose anything is possible. I, however, won't be holding my breath. Unfortunately, I do have season tickets and will be forced to endure their first (and almost certainly their only) playoff game.

I hate to admit it, but it's true, West coast teams are the worst in the NFL. Arizona & Denver are our best teams ! How pathetic. They are better than the 6 worst teams in all of football.San Francisco

Seattle

St. Louis

Kansas City

Oakland

San Diego

O.K, Detroit & Cincinnatti are out there also.

At least Arizona got rid of Denny Green, When does Shanny get his. Did anyone else see the last 22 seconds of the 1st half against the Raiders last Sunday ? Shanahan should be fired for being such a rectal opening.

And at this point, Denver couldn't hold Arizona's metaphorical jock.As for Shanny, the short answer is he gets his when he quits. Bowlen has said repeatedly that the job is his for as long as he wants it. There have been some rumblings lately in the media regarding his job status, but I truly believe Bowlen will keep his word.

 

[Ghost Rider]

This team is impossible to figure out.

They lose by 21 at home to the 3-9 Raiders, but then win by 17 at the 8-4 Jets? Wow. I sure didn't see that coming.

But, when you combine the win with SD's loss to Atlanta, it makes the AFC West crown look very likely now. To avoid having to play for the title week 17, the Broncos magic number is 2, meaning if they win two of their next three, if they win one and SD loses one, or if SD loses two. Honestly, the Chargers are too inconsistent this year to win four straight (*knocks on wood*), but I am going to just focus on the Broncos and say that as long as they win their last two home games (KC and Buffalo), they win the division. Of course, after the Raider debacle, no game is a sure thing, but you would hope that they wouldn't take a lesser opponent for granted like that again.

 

[BusMan]

They're young, inexperienced, injured, and therefore inconsistent. I believe Football Outsiders has them as one of the top five most inconsistent teams from week-to-week. I've adjusted my expectations for this team; I just want them to keep playing better week to week. Postseason glory is a pipe dream I'll put on hold for a month while I continue to (hopefully) watch the team grow.

Considering the preseason expectations and ridiculous amount of injuries, I believe we may be seeing one of Shanahan's best coaching jobs of his entire Denver tenure.

 

[moleculo]

Good win today, all around. My random thoughts:

Just when I announced to my wife that Hillis is my new favorite Bronco, he's out, probably for the season. Of course. I am really excited to see what the kid can bring to the team next season. I envision a role for him similar to Alstot - short yardage/red zone beast, plus capable reciever out of the backfield. Couple him with a speed back, and the Bronco backfield could be as good as ever. My knock on Tatum Bell has always been that he cannot convert short yardage and does not have good hands - basically Hillis is everything that TBell isn't. Unfortunately, Hillis doesn't have the speed. Some of those 8-10 yard runs would have been 50-60 yards for a back with speed. Now, I don't know who the speed back will be - could be Tatum, but I doubt it, could be SYoung, could be someone finishing up his senior year right now.

The great part of Hillis being involved in running the ball though, is that he could always be on the field - defenses can't game plan for him like they could for other backs who play that role - Bettis, for example.

Clady - that dude can get out there quick.

Woodyard can play, as can Josh Bell. The D in general has really come along nicely, which is a suprise. My expectations are still really low and it's nice to have them beaten.

I feel really bad for Connor Barth. Probably one of the all time worst names. In general, special teams did not have a great game. KR coverage wasn't very good. And, I still don't understand why ever other team kicker in the league can consistently get touchbacks except for the dude who is used to kicking at altitude. I wonder if the coaches are asking him to get the ball high so guys can get down there and make the tackle inside the 20 - if that's the concept, it isn't working and they should just ask Prater to put the ball in the end-zone.

Am I the only one who is amazed with the playcalling? these games w/ no RB's - the plays they run to get a WR the ball within 5 yards of the LOS are great to watch - end arounds, WR screens, etc. It's like every week we see a new play that I had never even thought of.

Cutler really should get the AFC nod for starting QB. He's done an amazing job. I could see an arguement for Rivers and then it sohuld be Favre vs Manning...

 

[Ghost Rider]

I was ready to literally bang my head against a wall today when they fell behind 10-0, but they fought back and got the tough win. Magic number to win the division is now 1.

Really, it is unbelievable how injuries have wrecked the Broncos backfield this season. Eddie Royal seems to get a few carries on reverses and such every week, so Shanny is obviously trying to find a way for the WRs to get more involved in the short game, to make up for the lack of RBs.

Cutler ought to be a shoe-in for the Pro Bowl, but I won't be surprised if he gets screwed. Manning and Favre might both make it because of name recognition, and then Rivers has slightly better TD-INT numbers, so that might give him the edge. We'll see.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I found this rather amusing:

The Broncos, at 8-5, have a point differential of -20.

The Chargers, at 5-8, have a point differential of +43.

 

[LuckyOne]

I found this rather amusing:The Broncos, at 8-5, have a point differential of -20. The Chargers, at 5-8, have a point differential of +43.

Maybe they should use total points to determine rankings...

 

[BusMan]

I found this rather amusing:

The Broncos, at 8-5, have a point differential of -20.

The Chargers, at 5-8, have a point differential of +43.

FO has them as a better team, too. It must be infuriating to be a Chargers fan right now. And no, I'm not piling on. Trust me, I have regular nightmares of the Broncos choking the division away down this final stretch.

 

[BusMan]

C.J. Boyd up from the PS (Lammey likes him). We also signed a guard off Seattle's practice squad; I wonder if Hamilton's busted hand is more of a concern than Shanny is letting on? Might we see the starting debut of Kory L.? Or is this precautionary depth?

 

[Ghost Rider]

Trust me, I have regular nightmares of the Broncos choking the division away down this final stretch.

As do I? But, in games decides by the 7 points or less, the Broncos are 6-1, while the Chargers are 1-7, so that right there is the biggest difference between the two. For all of their faults, these Broncos know how to win close games. The Chargers do not.

 

[BusMan]

Trust me, I have regular nightmares of the Broncos choking the division away down this final stretch.

As do I? But, in games decides by the 7 points or less, the Broncos are 6-1, while the Chargers are 1-7, so that right there is the biggest difference between the two. For all of their faults, these Broncos know how to win close games. The Chargers do not.

Shanahan >>> Turner

 

[moleculo]

Putzier is back and Calvin Lowrey is finally cut. I'm a Putzier fan, and think he will make an adequate backup for Scheffler. At the very least, he should have at least a basic grasp of the playbook - not sure how much has changed since he lft town.

Lowrey - probably the worst tackler I've seen in a while.

 

[thatguy]

A win over Carolina this weekend would be huge... In no way do I expect one, but I think if they do go into Carolina and beat them, other AFC teams will begin to take note. I just hope, assuming they do hang on and win the division, they don't face the Colts in the first round. I still have nightmares about that team...

 

[moleculo]

A win over Carolina this weekend would be huge... In no way do I expect one, but I think if they do go into Carolina and beat them, other AFC teams will begin to take note. I just hope, assuming they do hang on and win the division, they don't face the Colts in the first round. I still have nightmares about that team...

I agree with that. The only consolation in a possibly Indy game is that the game would be @ Mile High, instead of the Indy fast track.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Indy is the likely first round opponent, should the Broncos win the division and get the 4 seed. Getting them at home would definitely be better than having to go to Indy, but the Colts win ugly a lot of the time now, so they are probably more equipped to win a road game in bad weather than they were a few years ago.

 

[BusMan]

If we play the Colts, I'm calling for rush 2, drop 9.

 

[moleculo]

That's it, season is over. Chargers will roll the Broncos next week, I have no doubt. I don't know how this team can blow a 13 point lead...

How can you rush for 161 1st half yards, and then in the second half, call three handoffs? Are you effin kidding me?

A complete list of Bronco rushes in the 2nd half:

1-10-DEN29 (9:46) S.Young up the middle to DEN 29 for no gain (K.Mitchell).

1-6-BUF6 44) (Shotgun) J.Cutler left end for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

2-10-BUF27 (11:13) S.Young right guard to BUF 25 for 2 yards (P.Posluszny, R.Denney).

1-10-DEN48 (8:37) T.Bell up the middle to BUF 49 for 3 yards (K.Williams, R.Denney).

2-3-DEN46 (2:43) (Shotgun) J.Cutler scrambles right guard to BUF 45 for 9 yards (Sp.Johnson).

three rushes, one QB keeper, and one scramble. Way to completely abandon the running game after the all powerful PJ Pope gets hurt. Bates needs to turn in his playbook and hand the reigns back to Shanny. Absolutely terrible.

How many TD's did Jake Jay over-throw today? at least 3. Despite his 359 yards, Jake Jay did not have a good game. Certainly outshined by Rivers today.

The D - well, I've already resigned myself to the fact that this is the worst D I have ever seen. I kind of expected them to give up 30 anyways - if this team had a dream, they need to be scoring 35. Not today.

I think I'm done watching the Broncos this season - I can't bear to watch the smackdown the Chargers have in store.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Indy is the likely first round opponent, should the Broncos win the division and get the 4 seed. Getting them at home would definitely be better than having to go to Indy, but the Colts win ugly a lot of the time now, so they are probably more equipped to win a road game in bad weather than they were a few years ago.

always remember, it's hatch, then count.

 

[moleculo]

Also - the turning point in this game was the missed 54 yard FG. Had the broncos punted here, the Bills would have had to go at least 80 yards in two minutes. Giving the Bills the ball at the 44 - that's definately a doable 2 minute distance to put some points on the board.

This is not the first game that the Broncos have struggled at the end of the first half with dire consequences.

 

[Ghost Rider]

That's it, season is over. Chargers will roll the Broncos next week, I have no doubt.

If that happens, heads should roll. Granted, I think heads should roll, anyway, but if they lay down next week and get pulverized by a 7-8 team, thereby losing the division in the process, then heads should roll across the board, and Shanahan should be the first to go. Seriously, I am sick of this crap. This team looked like they didn't even care last week, probably figuring they could clinch this week, but they failed miserably. This is the 2nd time in three years that they blew a chance to clinch a playoff berth in late December by losing to a below .500 team at home. This time was to a team that had lost 7 of their last 8. Pathetic. As great as Shanahan's overall record in Denver is, at some point he has to be held accountable for this garbage. Yes, I am pissed.

 

[BusMan]

Dec 10 2008, 09:47 AM' post='9664696']

I found this rather amusing:

The Broncos, at 8-5, have a point differential of -20.

The Chargers, at 5-8, have a point differential of +43.

<_<

FO has them as a better team, too. It must be infuriating to be a Chargers fan right now. And no, I'm not piling on. Trust me, I have regular nightmares of the Broncos choking the division away down this final stretch.

 

[thatguy]

I honestly don't know why everyone is counting Denver out of next week's game. I think it's a mistake. I will say, should they win, I expect nothing come playoff time, but I do think they'll show up next week and make it a good game. This team shows up when no one expects them to - I can almost guarantee they won't lay down next week.

 

[thatguy]

That's it, season is over. Chargers will roll the Broncos next week, I have no doubt. I don't know how this team can blow a 13 point lead...

How can you rush for 161 1st half yards, and then in the second half, call three handoffs? Are you effin kidding me?

A complete list of Bronco rushes in the 2nd half:

1-10-DEN29 (9:46) S.Young up the middle to DEN 29 for no gain (K.Mitchell).

1-6-BUF6 44) (Shotgun) J.Cutler left end for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

2-10-BUF27 (11:13) S.Young right guard to BUF 25 for 2 yards (P.Posluszny, R.Denney).

1-10-DEN48 (8:37) T.Bell up the middle to BUF 49 for 3 yards (K.Williams, R.Denney).

2-3-DEN46 (2:43) (Shotgun) J.Cutler scrambles right guard to BUF 45 for 9 yards (Sp.Johnson).

three rushes, one QB keeper, and one scramble. Way to completely abandon the running game after the all powerful PJ Pope gets hurt. Bates needs to turn in his playbook and hand the reigns back to Shanny. Absolutely terrible.

How many TD's did Jake Jay over-throw today? at least 3. Despite his 359 yards, Jake Jay did not have a good game. Certainly outshined by Rivers today.

The D - well, I've already resigned myself to the fact that this is the worst D I have ever seen. I kind of expected them to give up 30 anyways - if this team had a dream, they need to be scoring 35. Not today.

I think I'm done watching the Broncos this season - I can't bear to watch the smackdown the Chargers have in store.

I have a problem with this. If they go into San Diego, win, and look amazing doing so, are you telling me you won't get excited and hopeful for their playoff chances? You won't watch their playoff game? I'm as big a Denver fan as anyone, and yes, this season has been awful to endure, but come on man, stay the course.

 

[thatguy]

In response to your point about Cutler missing badly on some throws, I'm in complete agreement. This is a problem with him that he can't seem to right, and it stems from him having so much confidence in his arm strength that he doesn't seem to know what a touch pass is. There are times when his bullets are just what the doctor ordered, and he has that rare ability to make throws into traffic that few other QB's can make. But, he has to learn that when he has Eddie Royal wide open streaking down the right sideline, he needs to get some loft under the ball and give Royal time to get under it instead of trying to throw a bullet that hits him right in stride - in a situation like that, if Royal has to slow down a bit and wait for the ball, it's okay. His problem seems to be that he thinks every throw has to be pretty and perfect and be thrown so hard that it almost knocks his WR down, and because of this, he makes some very errant throws at times. If he can learn when to gun it and when to throw a touch pass, he will reach his true potential, which is skyhigh.

 

[thatguy]

One last point about the end of the game - I understand Denver liked the matchup that Stokley had, but I really think they should have tried a fade or two to Marshall. The difference between throwing to Stokley and throwing to Marshall in that situation is that, a throw to Stokley has to be perfect while a throw to Marshall just has to be in his general vicinity for him to have a chance at it. Given that Cutler's accuracy was a glaring problem on Sunday, Stokley should not have been his primary target at that point in the game.